Autologous Blood
transfusion is the collection and re-infusion of the patient's own Blood or Blood
components. Long term or frozen storage is an option for autologous donors if the
scheduled surgery is postponed, or if you desire to avail yourself of the assurances
provided by this procedure. Under normal conditions, the procedure requires a physician's
order.

Despite the obvious advantages,
the technology of frozen blood banking programs has not been adequately utilized for over
35 years. Utilizing ultra freezing technology and cryopreservation agents, it is possible
to store blood for over 20 years.

There are approximately 20
million transfusions given annually to about four million individuals. Yet despite
screening precautions to keep the blood supply safe, transfusions cause an estimated
50,000 cases of hepatitis and an unknown number of AIDS cases every year.

The so-called AIDS and hepatitis
tests used for screening blood donors are really tests for antibodies which may not appear
for months after an infection. An infected donor may have active HIV or hepatitis virus
for as long as six months before antibodies are detectable. If during that period that
person were to donate blood, these viruses could be transmitted to the recipient of that
donated blood. By freezing the donated blood, and re-testing the donor six months later,
these infected donations could be detected.

The cryo-freezing process is
expensive and research is ongoing. Normally a frozen autologous storage fee is prepaid per
pint when you decide to freeze your Blood. The Red Cross operates on a cost-recovery basis
only.

Your Blood, once donated, may be
stored in a frozen state for decades, and up to 20 years, for a fee. The fee varies
depending on the Blood center accepting the Blood, and storing the Blood. The amount
allowed to be stored may also vary.

When you need the donated and
stored Blood, upon notification from the hospital, the storing Blood center immediately
begins to thaw your Blood. Because of time required to thaw frozen Blood and deliver it to
a where you are, frozen autologous Blood is not practical for emergency use. Thawing takes
60 to 90 minutes. Once your Blood has been thawed, it must be used within 24 hours.

If you are in another city when
you need the stored Blood, you depend on others to make every effort to coordinate
incoming Blood from from out of town or out of state. There is always an additional fee
for this service.

- MORE to COME HERE -

How safe are gamma
globulin shots? Although gamma globulin (immune globulin) is made from pooled
plasma of many donors, infectious risks are virtually eliminated by use of manufacturing
methods that destroy any viruses that may have escaped the initial screening of individual
donations. The Red Cross preparation uses plasma derived only from volunteer donors.
There have been no reported cases of HIV infection from intramuscular gamma
globulin. A few cases of hepatitis C have been reported recently from a special
intravenous preparation of gamma globulin (not the intramuscular type given to travelers).
With newer viral inactivation (sterilization) techniques now in place there have been no
further reports of infection to date (April, 1999). ARCNOCAL

Military Frozen Blood Depots
- The Navy operates one frozen Blood depot in Sigonella, Sicily, and one in Okinawa.
These depots have the capability to store 40,000 units and 10,000 units of frozen Blood
each, respectively. Each depot has one Medical Service Corps officer, one enlisted
technician, and four civilian technicians. These depots provide frozen Blood products to
appropriate medical platforms. The Army is also planning to establish frozen Blood depots
to store a total of 75,000 units of frozen Blood products. The Air Force is planning to
store 50,000 units of frozen Blood in the Armed Services Whole Blood Processing
Laboratories.

- MORE to COME HERE -

Links
to Long Term Autologous Blood Storage Blood Centers

Daxor Corporation - Daxor, in 1985,
opened the world's first frozen Blood bank for autologous (self) storage. This is the
oldest of the finest. Founder/President Joseph Feldschuh,
M.D. is the author of an excellent book on the
subject.